


a step back, a breath in

by shrdmdnssftw



Series: (I Want You To) Rock Me [1]
Category: Team B (Band), iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 11:24:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2771228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrdmdnssftw/pseuds/shrdmdnssftw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Bobby who spots the poster first.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <strong>WANTED: SERIOUS MUSICIANS FOR THE GIG OF A LIFETIME</strong>
  </p>
</blockquote>
            </blockquote>





	a step back, a breath in

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sasireun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasireun/gifts).



> HAAAAAAAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
> 
> This is a birthday fic(let) for the lovely, lovely [sasireun](http://sasireun.livejournal.com/). I love you lots and I hope you like this ♥
> 
> Also, it may seem like a double b fic at first but I swear that's just your influence shining through. Also, also, it's gen fic. For now. Uh. Yes.
> 
> Also on [**LJ**](http://shrdmdnssftw.livejournal.com/28768.html)!

It's Bobby who spots the poster first.

> **WANTED: SERIOUS MUSICIANS FOR THE GIG OF A LIFETIME**

The font is bold, solid black on an eye-catching yellow sheet of paper, and Bobby catches Hanbin by the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him back so they can read the poster together.

Beneath the text, there's clip art - a cartoon drum set and a guitar surrounded by little stars - followed by the details that Bobby actually wants: a pop-punk band is searching for a drummer and a guitarist, bonus if either member can write songs. They rehearse twice a week in a local studio space and if you're interested, call the number below. Auditions can be as a duo or solo but you should be able to get along with all types of personalities. The contact is listed as  _Kim Donghyuk_ and underneath, in smaller text, is a small note ( _no calls after 7PM_ ).

"So," Bobby says, after they've both had time to scan the poster, "what do you think?"

"It's... charming," replies Hanbin drily. "What exactly is the 'gig of a lifetime' that they mentioned?"

Bobby shrugs, shoving his hand in his pocket to find his phone. "Does it matter? We've been looking for people to rehearse with-"

" _You've_ been looking for people to rehearse with," interrupts Hanbin but Bobby waves him off.

"And this is our chance. They're looking for a guitarist and a drummer, and here we are!"

For someone faced with Hanbin's blank  _look_ , Bobby still sounds too optimistic but really, they both know the decision was made when Bobby managed to get Hanbin to read the paper.

"It's really convenient, that," replies Hanbin. He does nothing but watch on as Bobby adds the number to his phone, saves it under  _Kim Donghyuk - BAND!_ and then locks the screen.

"I'll call him later," Bobby says, answering Hanbin's unsaid question. "It's already 7:30 and you said there's food at your place."

Hanbin rolls his eyes. There's always food at Hanbin's place, or at least, compared to Bobby's small apartment. It makes sense though - one of them still lives at home with his mother and younger sister, and the other is a university student who can put away three bowls of rice plus meat in one sitting, and still have room for dessert. 

"I'm surprised you haven't been adopted into my family," Hanbin says, as he starts walking in the direction of his house. "You practically live with us nowadays."

Bobby jogs to catch up with Hanbin, slinging an arm around his shoulder with a laugh. "Just because your family loves me more-"

There's a sharp jab to his side.

"Oof, fine." Bobby breathes in sharply. "Just because your family feeds me more, doesn't mean they don't love you. No need to act jealous."

Hanbin looks at him incredulously and Bobby flashes him one of his most winning smiles. Too many of his teeth show and his eyes curve slightly, cheeks round and pink in the cold. It'd be charming if Hanbin wasn't so offended.

"I'm not jealous," he says. "Why would I  _ever_ be jealous of you?"

"Uh, because your sister sat next to  _me_ last time I came for dinner?"

And that's a low blow, mainly because it's a _lie_ , and Hanbin can't stand for that. "Hanbyul sat in her usual spot, and _you_ sat down first, knowing where she usually eats."

Bobby's still smiling at him and Hanbin knows his best friend is trying to wear him down but it _won't_ work.

"I'll let my mum know you can't make it for dinner," Hanbin says. "I'm sure she won't be too heartbroken."

They've still been walking but now Bobby stops Hanbin, standing in front of him and placing a hand on each shoulder. "Your mum won't be," he says, voice sad. "But what about you?"

Hanbin rolls his eyes, tries to duck under Bobby's arms and keep walking but is blocked by his friend's grip. 

"How could you possibly go on without me in your life?" Bobby's flare for drama is definitely kicking in now and Hanbin concedes defeat.

"I don't know," he deadpans. "I must have been mistaken. My life, since it revolves around you, would be terrible."

"Exactly!" Bobby says cheerily. "So I'm coming over for dinner, right?"

"You always have been," Hanbin sighs, sparking another one of Bobby's smiles. 

He loops their arms together, sticking to Hanbin's side as close as possible and it's almost like he's skipping when they begin to walk again. It's quiet for a minute or two, the only sounds being the occasional car down another back street, or the chatter of people inside warm buildings, away from the cold, but then Bobby decides he has to break it.

"So what do you think your mum cooked for dinner?"

-

It's not the gig of a lifetime.

"A battle of the bands?" Hanbin says, less a question and more an accusation. "Like what I swore I wouldn't do after high school?"

"Okay," the guy (Donghyuk, as he introduced himself) says, "maybe we overstated it."

His voice, on the phone, isn't quite clear but it's enough to know that he sounds young.

"A little," replies Hanbin, curt.

"Just a bit," Bobby butts in. "I'm still interested!"

Hanbin elbows him, pulling the phone away from his mouth to hiss, "and what if I'm  _not_?"

Bobby takes his phone back from Hanbin and turns off the speakerphone option.

"Yeah, Donghyuk? Mmhmm. Yeah. Yep."

The number of affirmative noises coming from Bobby right now is downright ridiculous. Hanbin taps his foot impatiently but doesn't make a grab for the device. Yet.

"No, I get it," Bobby is saying. "I 100% agree. I understand. Well, you've got yourself a guitar player, at least. Or, I'll try."

And there go all of Hanbin's free nights for the next month or so, because even if _he_ isn't playing himself, the fact that Bobby's going to be trying out for the band means Hanbin will end up tagging along anyway. It's with a resigned face that he taps Bobby on the shoulder, gives a listless thumbs up and then cracks the smallest smile when Bobby whoops, almost forgetting to pull the phone away, before bringing it back to declare,

"You've got a drummer too, we're both in. We'll see you on Thursday night then?"

Hanbin tunes out for the rest of it, mostly content to let Bobby sort it out. Of their little musical duo, he's always been more of the performance orientated. He cares about what they look like, what they sound like, what they play. The rest of the details, where and when and how and pay, that's mostly down to Bobby, and it's worked out well enough in the past. They trust each other more than can be said in words and so if Bobby's going out on a limb for another gig, then Hanbin is going to go with him.

"It's settled," Bobby says, breaking through Hanbin's thoughts. "We'll be meeting up with Donghyuk and his friend Junhwe on Thursday at their practice venue. Just bring your own sticks, they said, 'cause they have a standard set there."

"Sure thing," Hanbin says, making a mental note to bring his sticks and to allow time to rearrange whatever set they have to his liking. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nooooope," replies Bobby, stretching out the word. "At least, nothing I know of either."

Hanbin nods and pulls out his phone to make an  _actual_ note to remind him to turn up. 

"It should be awesome," Bobby says, nudging Hanbin's shoulder lightly with his own.

"It can't be terrible," Hanbin concedes, smile reluctantly forming, and when Bobby pulls him down onto the lumpy sofa, he follows without a fuss.

"That's the spirit!" Bobby enthuses and he makes a grab for his laptop. "Now I'm going to scope out this competition, so we can figure out what we're dealing with."

-

"How old  _are_ you guys?" Bobby asks and Hanbin has to raise an eyebrow in agreement. 

The two others are standing across from them, not too far that they need to raise their voices, but far away enough to be awkward. The one leaning against the amp box pulls a face briefly before speaking.

"Old enough," is his answer and Hanbin has to stifle a laugh at that.

"What Junhwe means," starts the other guy, "is that we're old enough to enter this competition. The venues serve alcohol, so you have to be over twenty. Junhwe's legal this year and I had my coming of age last year."

It's a surprise to Hanbin, and Bobby too, by the looks of it, that they're the same age. 

"Hanbin too," Bobby says, apparently airing everything out before they even get started. "And I'm born in '95, so I guess I'm the oldest here?"

The guy - he's got a name, Hanbin reminds himself,  _Donghyuk_ \- smiles at Bobby opening up a bit more. "I guess so. It's nice to meet you both."

He sounds sincere about it and Hanbin's got to hand it to him, for a band without a permanent lineup, they seem to be pretty committed to the idea. The drum set they'd provided is almost as good as Hanbin's own, the cymbals maybe even newer than his. He'd only needed to tune the snare slightly, and by the time everyone else had wandered in from the cold, Hanbin had gotten a few good minutes of practice in.

"Likewise," Bobby says. He's got his guitar bag slung over his back but doesn't bother to put it down before he closes the gap between the four of them, reaching out to shake Donghyuk's hand. He offers his hand to Junhwe too but the younger guy pretty much balks at the gesture. Bobby, Hanbin is relieved to note, takes it well enough, nodding politely instead.

"So like I said, this is Hanbin and I'm Jiwon, but literally only my mother calls me that, so call me Bobby."

Donghyuk greets Hanbin cheerfully and Junhwe does his polite nodding shtick again and now the easiest awkward part is over with, Hanbin's ready to see how much they clash. 

"I guess since that's done," says Donghyuk, practically reading Hanbin's thoughts, "maybe we should run through some stuff together? Or you can show us what you've got?"

It sounds like a challenge and when Bobby meets Hanbin's gaze, there's the same love of challenges shining in his eyes. "We can show you," Bobby replies. "We'll show you all of it."

-

Hanbin takes off his sweater by third song he performs for them and, by the time they start practicing as a quartet, he's down to a tank top that's starting to get damp. The practice room is hotter than he'd expected and that's what he'll blame for not realising they should've asked more about Donghyuk and Junhwe first.

Both are  _good_ , better than Hanbin had expected after his first impression, and so far all the songs they've suggested are ones Hanbin has comfortably under his belt but still enjoys playing. Donghyuk is on vocals and guitar and while his voice isn't what Hanbin was expecting, it fits the songs they're playing perfectly. More than other bass player's he's met, Junhwe actually tries to keep the beat  _with_ Hanbin, rather than playing over him, and it feels like a proper rhythm section. If he wasn't afraid of being too optimistic, Hanbin might call this a match.

Bobby's called for a water break and everyone gladly agrees. The sound of his name makes Hanbin glance up in time to catch the bottle that Bobby's tossed at him and he feels kind of smug when Donghyuk makes a surprised and impressed noise. That takes second seat to actually drinking though, and he chugs down the water before using the hem of his top to scrub at his face. He knows he's probably red and looking like a bit of a mess but Bobby's seen worse of him, and Donghyuk and Junhwe don't look much better.

"You two seem pretty in sync with each other," Donghyuk says. It's not a question but Bobby answers him anyway.

"Hanbin was the first friend that I made when I moved here."

"You're not from Seoul?" Junhwe asks, speaking up for the first time since they started practicing.

"America, actually."

Donghyuk's eyes widen at that but Hanbin knows it's a story for another time, so he cuts off that line of conversation before it begins. "You guys aren't terrible either," he says.

They seem to take it as the compliment it is and Donghyuk smiles. "Junhwe came to me when we were in middle school, both in the music program. I was new to the place and he - well, honestly, he needed someone for a band project as well."

"Ah, I see a pattern," Bobby jokes. "I'm guessing by the end of the year, we'll all be super close then? Practically family?"

"We'll see," is all Donghyuk replies. "In any case, we've been playing together for years now, usually with friends from our high school or middle school. We took a break for enlistment and now we're wanting to get back into the scene."

Bobby nods, takes a sip of his own water. "And your ad - it said something about songwriting?"

Here, Donghyuk turns sheepish. "Well, yeah. That's one little problem in our plan."

"It's a big problem," Junhwe says. "A problem that I said he should be upfront with."

It takes Hanbin less than a minute to figure it out. "So I'm assuming one cover song and one original?"

Donghyuk's expression is confirmation enough.

"We're not terrible," he says and Hanbin starts to think of his early songs, a reminder that most people aren't terrible at first - but that hardly anyone is great. 

"You're good," says Bobby, placatingly. "At playing, at least. We - Hanbin and I are actually really into composing."

"It's my major," Hanbin tells them. "I have to prepare songs for my composition classes anyway."

The look on Donghyuk and Junhwe's faces are almost priceless but Hanbin cuts that down before their hopes are raised too high.

"Most are piano arrangements, though. I'm not sure how many would suit, or if you'll even like them."

"You'll like them," Bobby fake-whispers. 

"And you'll have to ask Bobby about lyrics," continues Hanbin. "I don't have much in terms of vocal songs yet."

Donghyuk still looks much too pleased, and something about Junhwe's face makes Hanbin think that he's probably trying hard to play it cool, while being similarly happy. Hanbin can't blame the guy - he knows what it's like to play the straight man to a fool, have a face that settles more often on "annoyed" than "content". He's doing that thing again, where he analyses people and decides whether or not they're worth spending time and effort on and honestly, after that half of their first session together? Hanbin's starting to think it might be worth it.

"That's fine though - more than fine, that's perfect," Donghyuk is saying and Hanbin finds himself properly smiling at the guy's enthusiasm. When he thinks about it, it's not too hard to imagine sharing his songs for this. For a band, four people that care about music, care deeply and would put the songs to use. It could be good. Hanbin hopes it will be.

-

The end of their practice is marked by the blaring of a phone alarm, or maybe it's a call. Hanbin can't tell, there's too much sweat in his eyes, sweat and sweaty hair. He needs a haircut. But first, to stand up and change his shirt. He's gone to his bag, pulled out the spare t-shirt he carries when he's going to practice drumming like this, and started stripping out of his sweat soaked one when he hears Donghyuk speak.

"Hey, let Jinhwan in," he's saying and then Hanbin pauses, shirt half off his head, because Donghyuk can't possibly mean-

"Bobby?" That voice is all too familiar and Hanbin is blushing, quickly shoving his sweaty tank top back down, anything better than being half shirtless in front of one Kim Jinhwan.

That's when he turns to look at Hanbin, of course, and it's a strange feeling to be greeting someone that he'd never expected to meet again. "Jinhwan," Hanbin says. It feels like his voice is caught in his throat. "I can't believe this."

He's not much different from when they'd seen him off from the airport. Maybe they've gotten taller. Maybe he looks healthier from being back at his home. Maybe time and distance does make the heart grow fonder. Hanbin's not sure of anything except that he's in the same room as Kim Jinhwan and it feels like he's seventeen all over again.

"You guys know each other?" Junhwe says, breaking the moment and Bobby lets out a surprised laugh.

"You could say that," Bobby says. "You definitely could say that."

**Author's Note:**

> I promise Yunhyeong will turn up soon. And Chanwoo. And possibly some cameos. 
> 
> also, I'm on twitter, feel free to yell at me [here](http://twitter.com/knotfic).


End file.
